


Fast Friends

by marsbert



Category: Richard Armitage - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-24
Updated: 2015-11-15
Packaged: 2018-03-08 21:35:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3224240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marsbert/pseuds/marsbert
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>FIC SUMMARY: Richard met Delia during the making of the Hobbit movies, and suffered through an agonizing crush during that time. When he finally gathers the courage to tell her how he feels, it doesn’t go as planned….but things are not as hopeless as they may seem, when Delia comes back into his life and has had a change of heart. Can they navigate the bumpy waters of a relationship, or are they doomed to just be in love with each other from a far?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> RATING: Mostly NC-17 and R  
> AUTHORS NOTES/WARNINGS: starting with the smut! never too much smut ;)

**Chapter One**

As Delia turned over onto her side, the sheets twisted between her legs and tangled beneath her. She was roused from her dream by the uncomfortable pressure rising in her bladder, and shifted her legs again to try to reposition herself. Unsuccessful, she breathed a sigh of aggravation as she became more aware of her surroundings.

She opened her eyes to the warm light of the sun filtering in through the half-opened window. The curtains fluttered listlessly in the breeze, and after a moment, she realized she could hear the birds chirping outside. Scoffing softly to herself at how ridiculously beautiful the morning was looking; she sat up and glanced over her shoulder. Richard’s bare back was to her, his shoulders lightly rising and falling with his rhythmic breathing. Delia felt herself smirk as she swung her legs over the edge of the mattress.

Once she stood up, the memory of the previous night came rushing back to her in the pang of soreness between her legs. She walked quietly out of the bedroom, feeling her smirk swiftly blossom into a vast grin, and by the time she had shut the bathroom door and sat down, she was softly laughing to herself.

She immediately felt better after peeing, and sat on the toilet for another few minutes, staring at the tile on the floor as she reminisced about what had happened last night. Through the door, she heard movement from the bedroom and assumed Rich had woken up. She finished peeing and pulled her underwear up, then glanced in the mirror above the sink. Her hair was a mess; tangled around her hair tie and flattened to her scalp on one side. She quietly thanked herself for not putting any mascara on before she and Richard had gone out to dinner.

She turned away from her reflection and pressed her ass against the edge of the counter, running her hands through her messy tresses as she listened for more movement outside the door. She pulled her hair tie out and tossed it on the counter next to the sink, and continued to brush through her long locks as she thought about earlier. A flash of Rich’s vibrant eyes glinting at her through the darkness as he nibbled at her inner thigh danced through her mind and she felt a rush of heat deep in her belly. She ran a hand over her forehead, wondering if she could manage going back out there without acting like a complete idiot –  _he doesn’t think you’re an idiot, he’s in love with you,_  she reminded herself with an uncontrollable grin.

With a deep, quivering sigh, Delia opened the bathroom door and slowly wandered back into the bedroom. Richard wasn’t in bed anymore, but he wasn’t anywhere to be seen. There was a clang of metal from the kitchen, and she heard him curse as he pulled something out of a drawer. She smirked again, then saw his pajama pants that he had tripped over the night before. She pulled them on and tied them around her hips, then wandered over to the open window. The soft summer breeze wafted through her as she looked out at the view, which was simple but beautiful. She watched the birds bouncing around a small feeder, until she heard the muffled footsteps behind her.

When his arms snaked around her waist, she stopped paying attention to the splendor outside. His fingers kneaded into her skin through the thin fabric of her tank top, and he pulled her into him so she could feel his broad chest against her back. She relaxed within his arms, and he stooped down to nuzzle his cheek against the side of her head as she ran her fingertips up and down his forearm.

“Sleep well?” he breathed softly into her ear, his voice low like a hum reverberating through her.

She smiled and closed her eyes, leaning her head back against him; reveling in how safe his tall, encompassing form made her feel. “Like a baby,” she chuckled. Richard hummed deep in his throat and kissed her head, she could hear him inhale as he pressed his lips against her. She looked back at him, pulling away just enough so that she could see some of his face behind her. She saw him smiling wide, and suppressed her own giggles, “what are  _you_  so smiley about?” she laughed.

He held onto her as he began to move backwards towards the edge of the bed. Delia stumbled, tripping over her own feet, but he caught her against his chest with a soft grunt. She felt him chuckle, and she playfully tried to pull away, to yank herself from his grip, but he was too strong for her. She giggled as his legs made contact with the edge of the bed and he sat down. She let out another giggle when he tugged at the elastic of her pajama pants, until she was between his knees as she stood in front of him. He looked up at her with his bright blue eyes and a grin twitching at the corners of his mouth.

She took a deep breath and tossed her hair back over her shoulders; she looked back down at him and smiled nervously. He beamed back up at her, his eyes soaking her in, searching her face as if he was trying to memorize it. She ran her fingers lightly through his hair and his eyelids fluttered at her touch. She bit her lip as she tried not to giggle, and he smiled sweetly up at her. “I’m smiling,” he started, opening his eyes to lock with hers, “because I can’t imagine ever being happier than I am right now.”

She scoffed with a chuckle and lightly punched his arm, “corn ball,” she laughed.

“ _Corn ball_?” he smirked, raking her in with his hands, pulling her down as she playfully screeched, “ _I’m_ a corn ball, am I?” he chuckled. He pushed her to one side and she fell onto the mattress with a cry of laughter, and he was on top of her before she could even roll over. His fingers were light and feathery, tickling her mercilessly as she writhed and gasped for air in between her desperate giggles. She called him off, begging him to stop, and he seceded, rolling onto one arm and pulling back from her. She fought to catch her breath as she looked up at him, her laughter still slowly dying away as she huffed.

“I  _like_  when you’re a corn ball,” she said quietly, her voice tenuous and shy. She wasn’t sure what it was about him that made her so jittery, but it was something she still wasn’t used to.

He chuckled and let himself fall against the mattress, his arm sliding out towards her. “You have the most beautiful brown eyes, Del,” he said as she propped herself up on one arm to look down at him.

She narrowed her eyes at him, “my eyes are  _shit_  brown,” she chuckled.

He smirked and shook his head, “ _chocolate_  brown.” She eyed him as he slid his arm under her side and started to pull her closer, “last night was wonderful,” he whispered.

She leaned closer to him, bumping his nose with her own. She opened her eyes to his and he surprised her by sliding his hands up to her neck, pulling her mouth down to meet his. Delia couldn’t help but moan into him as his fingers snaked up into her hair. Her lips parted eagerly as he kissed her, lightly flicking his tongue across each before he kissed it. He let one hand travel down her side, gently squeezing as it went, and she fought the urge to tense. She kissed him harder, pulling on his bottom lip with her teeth, and he groaned.

Forgetting her anxiety from before, she quickly sat up and climbed on top of him before he could stop her. She giggled at the surprise upon his face, her hips straddling his as his large hands wandered up her thighs. “God you’re beautiful,” he said breathlessly as he watched her.

Delia smirked and threw her hair back over her shoulders, then arched her back and bent down low to kiss him again, letting her long tresses drape over them both. His fingers shot back up to the nape of her neck, holding her to him as he reached up to catch her mouth with his. She giggled in between his feather-light kisses, and he smiled against her lips, “what are you so giggly about?” he whispered into her mouth.

She smiled and pressed her forehead against his, “you make me nervous,” she blurted out. As soon as the words had left her lips, she worried she shouldn’t have said it. She opened her eyes to look at him, and studied his expression, but she wasn’t sure what it meant, “sorry,” she said anxiously.

Richard grinned, “why do I make you nervous? It wasn’t an issue  _before_.”

Delia sat back on his legs, letting her hands travel down his chest, feeling his muscles through his shirt. She watched him for a moment before taking a deep breath, “it was different,  _before_.”

“How so?” he took one of her wrists in his hand and began to massage it with his fingers as she felt his eyes on her.

She ran her other hand through her hair, “I’m not sure. It’s weird. Before, when I knew you liked me…I didn’t feel nervous around you at all…. _then_ , when….”

“When you started to like me too…” he finished her sentence for her and she couldn’t hold back her grin.

“I always  _liked_  you Rich,” she chuckled.

He let go of her wrist and began to push himself up off the bed. Before she realized what he was doing, he had slid one arm around her back and was spinning her around. She laughed and held onto his shoulders as he laid her on her back and pressed himself against her. Her legs still wrapped around his hips, she lost her breath when he quickly grew hard and started grinding himself against her.

“You just never thought of me,” he breathed into her mouth as his hips writhed against her own, “like  _this_.”

She sighed heavily and draped her arms around his neck, linking them behind his head, her fingers twirling in his short hair. She finally caught up with the rhythm of hips and pushed against him when he pressed into her again, feeling his hardness against the heat building between her legs. She breathed heavily as she looked up at him, her eyes going dark with lust, “you’re like a different man now,” she said softly.

He smirked and reached down to kiss her again, leaving her lips to trail soft wet kisses down her jaw. His tongue darted out and flicked at her earlobe and she sucked on her bottom lip with a heavy gasp, “you bring the animal out in me,” he whispered.

He pulled back again and she looked up at him, the icy blue of his eyes glinting with the heat that exuded from him. She pushed herself up into him again and felt him moan deep in his throat. She smirked as she ran her hands up and down the sides of his ribs, “I can see that,” she chuckled.

He glared at her before leaning in again, this time his lips clamped down on the side of her neck and his tongue was hot against her sensitive skin. She clawed her fingers into his hair, pulling as she raked her nails down his neck and gripped his shoulder. He moaned against her throat and reached down between them to dive between her legs. She let out a gasp when he took a handful of the back of her thigh, lifting her off the mattress. He shifted between them and brought his knees up; pulling himself away from her to sit back on his legs, watching her breathing heavy as she lay sprawled out before him. He ran his hands down her legs, then up her sides and stopped just beneath her breasts. Delia groaned as he quickly kneaded her muscles, then dragged his fingers back down to her hips. He pressed against her again, this time controlling her movements by the angle at which he had her. She ran her arms along the bed, gripping at the sheets as her breathing became heavier. “You’re driving me crazy Rich,” she groaned.

His smile was devilish, and she watched as he knelt down and lowered his face close to her body. She breathed deeply as he slowly travelled up the length of her, his fingers twitching at her sides as he hovered just inches above her skin. When his face neared her belly, his fingers reached up and lifted the thin fabric away so that he could kiss her. She couldn’t stop herself from jumping at the sensation, her eyes fluttered closed as he kissed and licked his way up her stomach. He pulled the shirt up over her breasts and caught one in his mouth, the heat of his breath on her nipple made her cry out. His hand caressed her other breast as his tongue swirled around her nipple, and her fingers found their way back to his hair as she writhed and moaned under him.

Richard pulled away from her suddenly and sat above her with his legs straddling her. He started to pull her shirt up and she lifted her arms as he pulled it quickly over her head and threw it across the room. She smiled up at him as she watched him pull his own shirt off and discard it just as fast. He grinned down at her as she watched him, her fingers reaching up to trace light circles into his skin.

“I love you,” he whispered, holding himself above her with his arms, his biceps pulsing on either side of her.

She wrapped one of her legs around his thigh, smirking up at him, “show me how much you love me,” she begged.

He groaned as he lowered himself, pressing against her again, reveling in the sensation of her breasts against his chest.  _Last night had been fast and heated,_ he thought to himself,  _now we can savor it._ He nibbled on her jaw line before finding her lips again, her tongue eagerly exploring his mouth as she kissed him hungrily. He felt himself grow even harder as she held onto him, her nails clawing tracks down his shoulders.

“ _Oh Del_ ,” he moaned against her lips, he felt her smile against his fevered kisses.

“ _Richard_ ,” she breathed huskily.

He pulled back and looked down at her, struggling to keep his composure. He pulled away from her, hearing her groan of frustration when they lost contact. He grabbed the elastic of the pants she had put on and yanked them and her underwear quickly down her legs. She giggled as he fought for a moment to get her feet untangled from the fabric, and she watched him excitedly as he quickly stood up from the end of the bed and shed his own pants. He crawled back onto the bed, holding himself above her once again, feeling her quiver beneath him.

“Are you alright?” he asked softly as he searched her face.

She looked nervous, but she smiled and nodded against the pillow, “never better,” she breathed.

He slid his hand down her side, his thumb grazing the side of her breast before continuing past her ribs until he gripped her thigh with his long fingers. He lifted her leg and she threw it around him, he could feel the warmth emanating from her and it was tantalizing. He licked his lips as he looked down between the two of them; their naked flesh building with perspiration and vibrating with anticipation. His hand left her thigh long enough to take hold of himself and guide himself to her warm opening. Delia groaned before him, writhing and watching him, begging him with her eyes. Her fingertips trailed down his abs and around his hipbone, reaching behind him to take a handful of his ass. He smirked softly before pushing himself forward and delving deep inside her. Her face came alive as she expanded around him, her eyes straining for a moment until she was able to adjust. He braced himself above her as he slid in further, the contours of her inner walls pulsing against him.

He leaned down and kissed her gently, his thin lips resting against hers for a moment as he fought to catch his breath. When he lifted his head up to look down at her, she wore a contented smile, her eyes were soft and happy. She pressed her palm to his cheek as she gazed up at him, “why did it take me so long to figure this out?” she asked with a breathy whisper.

As he opened his mouth to reply to her and prepared himself to pull out of her in order to continue their lovemaking, there was a sudden shrill chirp from the bedside table. He tried to ignore the harsh burr of her phone, but it continued to buzz so many times that they both breathed a frustrated huff and looked over at it.

“Ignore it darling,” he cooed.

She smiled back at him as she reached over to the table, picking the phone up, “just turning it off,” she grinned. He smiled as he watched her, waiting for her to toss the phone so they could continue. Suddenly, her face changed; her sultry dazed look of satisfied lust quickly disappeared and was replaced with a furrowed brow and narrowed eyes as she read the small screen.

“What is it?” he asked, curious in spite of himself.

Delia glanced up at him, then back at the phone. He felt her body go rigid as she stared at it.

“It’s Cory.”

Richard’s face constricted, “ _Cory?_  Why would she be texting you?” Delia looked up at him from the phone again and shook her head. The anticipation of what his ex-girlfriend might be texting Delia about was causing his heart to beat fervently against his ribs, “Del? What is it?”

She swallowed hard and cleared her throat, noting to herself how quickly the moment had changed, and how the position they were in somehow felt surreal to her now. She looked up at his steely eyes, “she says she’s pregnant….and _you’re_ the father.”


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AUTHORS NOTES/WARNINGS: this chapter is basically the beginning of the back story… ;)

**Chapter Two**

“Rich, this is our core makeup team for the dwarves,” Pete said as they stepped up into the trailer. Inside was spacious, despite being cramped inside one of the numerous RVs on the lot. Three women and a man stood before them, all looking as if they had been caught in mid-conversation. The oldest of the three women, a portly older woman with bright purple hair that was tied up into a messy pair of knots at the back of her head, held out bejeweled fingers and energetically shook his hand as Pete introduced them.

“This is Lara, she was in charge of hair and makeup during the Lord of the Rings shoot,” Pete grinned as the woman beamed up at him.

Richard smiled down at her as she continued to grasp his hand, “pleasure to meet the king of the dwarves,” she giggled heartily. He chuckled and nodded, unsure of how else to respond, she then put her hand on his arm and led him towards the others. “This ‘ere is our team; Becca, Delia, and Roman,” she ticked each of them off with her index finger, holding it like a gun and shooting at them as she said their names. The older woman named Becca was about as tall as Richard was, with bleached blonde hair in tightly woven braids that bit into her scalp. Roman was a rail-thin black man with brightly painted fingernails and a shaven head, his patent leather pants and silver spiked belt were a bit off-putting, but he flashed a friendly grin at Richard and waggled his fingers playfully.

Delia, in the middle, was the only halfway normal looking one of the bunch. He couldn’t help but take notice that of the entire makeup trailer, she was the only one who kept her light brown locks tied back in a neat up do that he didn’t know the name of, and she was the only one of them dressed in a plain t-shirt and jeans. There was no glitz, no glam, just a simple smile and big bright eyes.

“Okay gang,” Pete clapped his hands together, “we’ve got our full crew meeting, then tomorrow is the big day. Let’s make it a good shoot!” Three of the four makeup people let out whoops and cheers, and Rich glanced out of the corner of his eye to see Delia smiling softly while she watched Lara as she tried to pump up the small group. Peter pulled Richard closer to him as he steered them back towards the door, “I’ve got sixteen other people I need you to meet, Rich.”

~*~

“You nervous Rich?”

He couldn’t tell if Delia was sincerely curious, or if she was smirking while she carefully applied the latex to his brow. He sat in his chair with his eyes closed; half dressed in his costume, as Lara and Roman worked on applying the prosthetics to his hands. Delia had sat herself on the counter in front of him, propped one foot on his chair between his knees, and commanded he closed his eyes. It was a normal Tuesday morning for them, almost five in the morning, while the rest of the dwarves were bustling around the trailer having the last finishing touches applied to their costumes and hair.

He scoffed, finding it hard not to move his eyebrows as he tried to answer her with his eyes still closed, “not really, why?”

He could feel her chuckle, the vibration from within her chest reverberating down her leg, into his chair, and up through his body. He felt his jaw clench as he fought the urge to shift in his seat, he didn’t want to upset either of the artists working on both sides of him.

“Last week, you said the barrel scene was one you were worried about,” she said quietly as she pressed one of his false brows onto his skin. Her fingers were gentle but firm as they massaged the piece against him, working to make it look seamless.

Rich remembered not to shrug a millisecond before he had almost done it, then smirked, “the stunts are fun,” he tried his best to sound convincing. He felt her hands pull away from his face, and she shifted in her seat. He cracked one eye open a fraction of an inch to see her sitting back, glaring at him. He opened his eyes farther and his grin spread wide across his face, “what?”

She smiled and shook her head, letting out a dramatic sigh, “ _actors._ ”

He chuckled and she scooted closer to him, motioning for him to shut his eyes again. “What does _that_ mean?” he laughed as he followed her instruction.

She was quiet for a minute, then he heard her take a short gasp, “nothing Rich, I'm just teasing.”

Without being able to look at her, his grin faded and his brow furrowed despite him trying to keep it still, but Delia didn’t scold him. “You okay?” he asked after a quiet moment.

“Fine, why?”

“You sound anxious.”

He heard her scoff weakly, then sigh again as she finished working on his other brow. After another moment, she pulled away from him again and removed her foot from between his legs, “you can open your eyes Rich,” she said quickly.

He opened his eyes to see her wiping her hands off with a wet wipe, then standing up to reach over Ramon’s hunched form to grab her brush. She came back to position herself in front of him, and as she leaned in close to him to continue the work on his brows, he had always secretly enjoyed when Delia did his face in the morning. It was a short moment in time where he was in close proximity to her, and he wasn’t expected to do anything, he could just watch. He followed her with his eyes; she had a conflicted look upon her face, her brow narrowed in concentration as she bit her lip uneasily.

“Del, what’s up?” he asked. She focused on a spot above his eyes as he continued to watch her.

Finally, she glanced down and met his stare, then smirked, “stop staring at me with those beautiful blue eyes of yours, you freaking dwarf!” she chuckled.

He fought the urge to playfully push her, but he heard Roman quietly chuckling at one side of him. The statuesque makeup artist noticed that both Delia and Richard were watching him, and quickly swallowed his giggles and excused himself, mumbling something about running out of the right color.

Delia glanced over at Lara as she continued working on his other hand, but the older woman didn’t glance up at either of them, “don’t let me interrupt you two,” she said with a devilish grin.

Delia shook her head as she went back to Rich’s face, “just some man trouble, Rich, nothing major.”

There was that sharp pang in his chest as he remembered the boyfriend she had told him about a few weeks ago. The one she had left back in the states after they’d fought about her working on the Hobbit films. “Has he changed his tune at all?” he asked, genuinely curious.

She let out a long sigh, then shook her head. “You’re all done, I’ve gotta help get Mikael ready for his scene.”

He looked up at her in surprise, “that was quick.”

She flashed him one of her dazzling smiles and then followed Roman to the other end of the trailer to star on Mikael’s hair prosthetics. Lara was finishing his hand as she began to chuckle softly to herself. He turned to look at her, without even glancing at his reflection in the mirror – he knew how he looked as Thorin.

“What are you chuckling about?” he asked with a grin.

She glanced up at him, then shook her head, “nothing sweetheart.”

“Obviously it was _something_.”

She looked back at him and her grin faded, “if you’re not careful, she’s going to catch on.”

“Catch on to what?”

The older woman studied him for a moment, then blankly blurted out, “that you’re head over heels for her.”

He scoffed, “ _what?”_

Lara’s naughty grin returned, and she winked playfully at him, “don’t worry dear, I’m not going to say anything.”

“I honestly don’t know what you're talking about,” he felt the quiver in his voice, but he instinctively lowered it to try and mask his uncertainty. A molten flow of nervous bubbles had started to gurgle deep in his gut.

The older woman narrowed her eyes at him, but then she seemed to retreat, putting her hands up in the air, “alright, sorry hun.”

~*~

There was a hum of nervous energy in the cafeteria when Delia walked in. After a minute, she found Lara and Roman talking in hushed voices in the corner, and made her way over to them.

“Oh Del,” Lara’s face lit up when she caught sight of her, “did you hear what happened?”

“No?” Delia looked confused, she glanced over and Roman, who just shook his head.

“Poor Richard, he’s been injured!” Lara rasped.

Delia felt a sudden rush of cold run through her as she gaped at the old woman, “ _injured?_ How? How bad? Where is he?” So many thoughts and questions ran through her head at once, she was surprised she had been able to form coherent words.

Lara patted her arm, “I don’t think it was terribly bad. Andy and the doctor just took him off to the hospital for some stitches. I heard the prosthetic on his forehead took most of the blow –”

Delia had only heard the last of what she said as she had started to walk away from them, leaving them both looking dumbfounded in the corner. She let her legs take control, as her mind was busy buzzing so fast that she couldn’t concentrate on what she was doing. Before she realized where she was going, she had made her way back to the car park and had climbed into her beat up old rented sedan. She was halfway down the road back into the city when she found herself fighting back tears.

_What the fuck is wrong with you?_ She tried desperately to reason with herself, but the voice in her head was not cooperating. _He’s a grown man, he’ll be fine. What if he’s not?_

She knew the way to the hospital because of the time Pat had dropped the hammer on his toe and she and Becca had driven him there. She knew the traffic wasn’t bad in the city right now because most of the island had already gone home and were sitting down to dinner at this time of night. She tried to rationalize all of this as she pulled into the parking lot of the hospital and started to text Andy.

_Where are you guys?_

She wasn’t sure how fast he might respond, or _if_ he would be able to respond at all, but she sat there in her car clutching her phone, staring at it and begging for some sort of answer. She felt her skin growing cold and clammy as her wild imagination started to invent horrible scenarios in front of her eyes. She shook away the disturbing thoughts and her phone vibrated within her palm.

_First floor waiting room, where are you?_

Without answering him, Delia grabbed her purse, jammed her phone into it, and slammed the car door behind her as she hurried through the parking lot to the front doors. She pushed through the glass doors with more force than she had intended, but as she looked around the half-full waiting room and finally found them, her heart sank.

Richard sat with his head back, a wad of bloody bandages held to his brow with one hand. He had his eyes closed as Andy was talking animatedly about something. Delia hurried over to them and took the empty seat on the other side of Richard, surprising both him and Andy as she sat down in a huff.

Rich opened his eyes and moved his head to look at her, then looked like he regretted it almost instantaneously. He groaned in discomfort and leaned his head back against the wall again. She reached out and gripped his wrist, then directed her angry questions towards Andy. “What’s going on? Why is he sitting here? Where is the doctor?”

Andy looked stunned, but after a quick breath and a slight smirk, “the doc’s just gone in to find a room, we’ve only been here a few minutes, Del. What are _you_ doing here?”

She searched for an answer that didn’t sound completely insane, then started to shake her head in frustration, “I heard there was an accident. Nobody knew how bad it was…I wanted to make sure Rich was alright.” Richard opened one eye and looked at her, making sure not to move. She saw him and glanced back at him quickly, squeezing his wrist with her fingers, then she looked back at Andy. Before anyone was able to say anything else, the set doctor came walking over to them, dressed in a set of sterile-looking scrubs.

“Richard, will you come with me?” the elderly man asked, and he, Andy, and Delia all helped Rich to his feet.

She stood and watched them until they had both disappeared behind the doors, then she felt Andy’s eyes on her. She looked over at him as she crossed her arms in front of herself, “what?” she asked defensively.

Andy just smirked, “you didn’t know how _bad_ it was?” his tone was mocking, but lighthearted.

“Shut up,” she hissed. She turned away from him and sat back down in her seat, feeling silly and defeated.

Andy slowly sat down next to her, and before she knew what was happening, he had slid his arm behind her shoulders. “Don’t worry darling,” he started. Delia looked over at him and saw his quirky grin, “he’ll still be handsome ol’ Rich,” he smirked.

She playfully bopped him on the shoulder and he hugged her closer. She smiled, but couldn’t shake the uncomfortable feeling that had been swarming inside her. Unsure what the feeling was, or what it might mean, she started to bite her lip as she and Andy continued to wait for Richard to come back.


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FIC SUMMARY: Richard met Delia during the making of the Hobbit movies, and suffered through an agonizing crush during that time. When he finally gathers the courage to tell her how he feels, it doesn’t go as planned….but things are not as hopeless as they may seem, when Delia comes back into his life and has had a change of heart. Can they navigate the bumpy waters of a relationship, or are they doomed to just be in love with each other from a far?  
> RATING: Mostly NC-17 and R

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AUTHORS NOTES/WARNINGS: this chapter is a little more of the back story… ;) Also, I don’t know much about film making, but I can bullshit my way out of most anything ;)

**Chapter Three**

Delia stood in the small crowd in Pete’s directing tent as they stared at the screen. She had been shuffled behind Frannie and a few of the stand-ins who were thankfully short enough that she could see over them without having to stand on her toes. They stood there quietly as they watched Martin and Richard on the screen; the bright green of the green screen behind them, dots and markers set across the screen for the computers to pick up.

Richard was delivering his last lines as Thorin, while Martin begged him to hold on, to not give up. Delia hadn’t realized what she was doing until her palm had snuck up and covered her mouth as she watched – horror struck. She knew that the blood and dirt on their faces was just makeup, she had helped apply some of it, but it was still a shock to see a scene like this played out in front of them.

“Cut!” Pete called, his voice echoing loudly within the tent. The people around her stirred, and a soft murmur started as she shook herself back into reality. She followed the crowd out of the tent and wandered towards the craft table, picking up a bottle of water vaguely as she gazed around the busy room.

“What did you think?” a deep voice snuck up behind her and surprised her from her daydream.

She spun around, clutching the bottle to her chest, and looked up at the dark imposing figure of Richard; his dwarf wig windblown and messy, his face covered in fake dirt and blood, his blue eyes blazing from the intensity of the scene. She swallowed hard and tried to smile, but it felt unstable and hesitant. She glanced past him to see Martin talking animatedly with Peter a few yards back, then she looked back at Richard again, “it was great!” she beamed. She quickly brushed the side of her face, “ _amazing_ , really Rich. I dunno how you do it.”

His brow furrowed as he watched her, “you alright Del?”

She smirked and began to nod, “yes! I’m fine,” she tried to laugh. She felt him studying her, and nervously gripped the bottle in her hand, “are you guys done?”

He glanced back over his shoulder, then turned back, “I think Pete wants a few more takes.”

She nodded, trying to think of something else to say. When nothing came, Richard seemed to understand. He reached out and touched her arm; the prosthetics on his hands making him look abnormally huge compared to her, and she smirked back at him as he grinned. “You sure you’re okay?”

She looked up at him, afraid to catch his gaze, but as soon as she locked eyes with him, she felt better. She felt herself relax and she smiled more easily. She took a breath, “I’m okay, Rich. I’ll see you in makeup.”

Pete was calling for attention on the other side of the set, and everyone was turning to face him. Richard tried to keep his attention on Delia, but she smirked, waved him off, and started to walk away. She glanced over her shoulder as she neared the door, and saw his back as Peter was talking to him.

~*~

“Delia you’re late!” Lara hissed as she pulled her inside, giggling.

Delia spun around in the small hallway and looked down at her watch, “you said to be here by seven? It’s only six-thirty.”

Lara hushed her as she shuffled her down the hallway and into the living room. The small room looked like it had been jam packed with half of the film crew; there were so many people in there that they could barely move. Delia deposited her present on the coffee table with the other wrapped gifts, then she was sucked into the corner with Roman and Frannie as a mumbled whisper fell over the group.

Lara shut the lights off and shushed everyone, then whispered loudly, “Aidan just texted me and said they’re on their way, they should be here any minute!”

They sat in the darkness for a few minutes, Delia found herself listening to the hushed, muffled breathing of the people around her. A few of them broke into a shushed conversation, but they were swiftly silenced when the sound of the front door reached their ears. Her eyes now adjusted to the lack of light, Delia could see Lara at the doorway to the living room, her finger ready on the light switch, as the footsteps grew louder. Suddenly Aidan and Richard’s faces came into view through the darkness and Lara flipped on the light. The blinding of the bright lights shocked everyone for half a millisecond before they all screamed “SURPRISE!” at the tops of their lungs.

Richard looked aghast, his eyes wide in surprise, but a smile beginning to creep across his face. Everyone crowded around him and Aidan, and the general congratulations and celebratory well wishes began.

After a few minutes, through the sea of arms and shoulders, Delia was finally able to make her way to the front of the room where Richard was talking to Lara. Lara was handing out small slices of birthday cake, and handed a plate to Delia, who hadn’t even realized there was a cake. She took the plate and turned to Richard, who smiled down at her sweetly.

“Happy birthday,” she said over the dull chatter of the room. People were still conversing while they ate their cake, and she wasn’t sure if he had heard her.

His cheeks went slightly pink and he smiled, nodding at her. He looked thoroughly embarrassed, but smiled as if he was thankful for it all, in spite of himself. “Thank you,” he said rather self-consciously.

Delia was shuffled towards the wall with a woman from wardrobe she didn’t know the name of. They watched as Lara instructed the crowd that it was now present-time, and she pushed Richard over to the couch and forced him to sit as she handed him gifts. Delia and the woman from wardrobe watched from a few feet away as he methodically opened each gift and thanked the person for their thoughtfulness. He was given several pairs of multi-colored socks, a few different bottles of aftershave and a handful of movies on DVD. Peter had given him a pair of dwarf-hands that had been painted bronze and put in a nice looking shadowbox, which everyone had a good chuckle over. Lara had given him an antique set of shaving razors and brushes. Rich rubbed his shaggy beard and joked about how he ached for a good shave.

After several other gifts; books, more movies, and even a pair of tickets to a local ski resort, Richard was handed Delia’s gift, and she held her breath as he ripped open the paper. He pulled the top of the long box off, and pushed the tissue paper aside. His eyes darted up and found hers across the room, she searched his baby-blues to see if she could tell if he liked it or not. He glanced back down at the gift and grinned widely as he pulled the jacket out of the box. There was a soft hum of “wow’s” and “ooh’s” from several people nearest them, as he held the warm brown leather out in front of him, looking it up and down. Delia watched as he stood up, threw the jacket around his shoulders, and slipped his arms into the sleeves, silently cheering to herself that she had picked the right size.

He looked back at her, his eyes wide in surprise, “you didn’t have to do this, Delia.”

She shrugged as she looked him up and down, smiling at how the brightness of the leather played off his dark hair, “happy birthday,” was all she could think of to say.

~*~

“I can’t believe everyone’s gonna be gone by next week,” Becca said as she peeled the last bit of latex from Aiden’s face. Aiden grunted in response as she placed the warm towel over his face. She turned to look at Delia, who was getting the last bit of Dean’s latex off her fingers. Dean had just walked out the door, when Richard opened it and came in.

“Last time,” he said quietly as he stepped closer. Delia looked up at him, Becca smiled and nodded as she busied herself around Aiden’s chair.

“Have a seat Rich,” Delia said as she walked to the other end of the trailer. When she came back, Richard was in the chair and Becca was helping him get his wig off.

Becca caught Delia’s eye and winked at her, then pulled the heavy hair off Rich’s head. She neatly balled the hair up as she walked past Delia, “he’s all yours, I’ve gotta send this back to Amelia in prosthetics.”

Delia took a deep breath and came up behind Richard in the chair. She could feel him watching her in the mirror, and she glanced up to catch his grin, “ready for the last time I’ll have to peel latex off your face?” she smirked.

He smiled and his eyes twinkled in the bright lights, “I’m sure Pete will call for reshoots sometime in the next year or so.”

She nodded as she came around and leaned against the counter in front of him. He closed his eyes as usual, and she found the edge of the latex along his hairline and began to slowly peel. She dipped her brush in the solvent and began to use it to help the latex along. “True,” she sighed, “but who knows who will be doing the makeup then.”

Rich smirked, “aren’t you guys signed up?”

“Lara and Roman are; I’ve got some other projects.”

He was quiet for a moment.“Well good for you then,” he smiled.

She nodded as she worked, slowly Thorin became less and less noticeable, and Richard’s normal face became more apparent. She pulled the last bit of latex off and wiped away some excess glue, “that’s it, do you want the towel?”

He opened his eyes and looked at himself in the mirror. He rubbed his beard and ran his hands through his hair. “Not yet, can I ask a favor of you Del?”

She turned back to look at him, “sure, what’s up?”

He glanced over at the quiet Aiden in the chair next to them; he looked like he had fallen asleep with the towel on his face. Rich turned back to her and smirked, “could I get a shave?”

Delia felt herself freeze – she wasn’t sure why the idea of shaving him made her so uneasy. She stumbled over her words for a moment, “D-don’t you want to do that yourself? Lara got you a really nice set for your birthday –”

He nodded, “I know, but I’m no good with a straight razor.”

She couldn’t help but laugh anxiously, “what makes you think that  _I_  am?”

He looked up at her with those piercing blue eyes, his brows crinkled in disbelief, “you’re good with your hands, Del. You’re talented like that.”

She bit her lip and crossed her arms. After a moment of thinking about it, she sighed and nodded. “Sit back, I gotta get the razor.”

She came back to his seat and lathered him up with the shave cream they had in the back. He sat back in his chair and closed his eyes as she leaned in close from one side. Her fingers pressed against his forehead as she prepared to drag the razor down his jaw line. She could see him peeking at her through slit eyes, but she ignored him and concentrated on not cutting him.

“I never understood how men can do this every day,” she said as she worked. She moved to the other side of him and he took the chance to smirk.

“Most  _don’t_  actually, not if we don’t have to.”

She chuckled, “I wouldn’t want to either.” She stooped down to his other side and slowly brought the razor across his skin. After a few more passes, she was almost done. She shifted around to the front of him to work on his chin, “you have beautiful skin though,” she said without thinking about it.

Richard opened his eyes and felt one of his eyebrows arch on its own accord. Delia looked up at him with the razor in one hand, her eyes wide as she thought about what she had just said. They both broke into smiles and began to laugh.

She made quick work of the last bit of his face, then handed him a towel to wipe off the excess cream. “Be right back,” she muttered as she took the razor and cream to the back room of the trailer. He watched her go as he wiped his face with the towel, and Aiden suddenly stirred in the other chair.

He pulled the towel off his face and looked at Richard with a devilish grin, “dude, that girl is  _crazy_  about you,” he whispered.

Rich scowled, “what are you talking about?”

Aiden glanced over his shoulder to make sure she wasn’t coming back. Keeping his voice down, he sniggered, “she’s totally hot for you man! I bet she’d fuckin’ blow you right here in the trailer if I left!”

“Aiden shut up,” Richard felt himself go cold, “don’t talk like that.”

Aiden smirked, but then Delia emerged from the back room. Aiden turned and handed her the towel as she walked by, she wished him a good night and he left with a quick wink in Rich’s direction. Delia came over to Richard’s chair and gave him a quick once-over in the mirror as she stood behind him, “did I do alright?” she asked.

He smiled at their reflections, “wonderful job, thank you Del.”

She nodded with a grin, then backed up as he started to get out of his chair. She stepped to the side to get out of his way, but before heading towards the door, he turned towards her.

“Are you coming to the wrap party tomorrow?” he asked.

She watched him for a beat, then began to nod, “yep. Jonas is gonna be here in the morning to go with me.”

Rich felt his shoulders sink, but tried to play it off as best he could, “oh, so I finally get to meet the boyfriend, huh?” he smirked.

Delia nodded with a grin, and looked down at the floor, “did you figure out when you’re leaving?”

He ran a hand over his newly shaven chin, “day after tomorrow.”

She looked up at him quickly, not even trying to hide her shock, “that’s fast.”

He nodded. “I’ve got a play to get prepare for.”

She smirked and began to nod, glancing around the room. She looked like she was trying to decide how to say something; she bit her lip for a moment before looking back at him, “the Crucible, right?”

“Yeah, how’d you know?”

Delia smiled anxiously, “I was gonna try and surprise you –”

“Surprise me with what?”

She chuckled, “I might be working on that play too.”

His eyebrows rose in shock, “really?”

She nodded excitedly, “I should find out soon, if they want me.”

“That’s great Delia,” he smiled. They watched each other for another minute, in which she couldn’t help but look back down at the floor, embarrassed by her awkwardness. He wished her a swift good night, and she watched him until the door fell closed behind him. She leaned against the back of the chair with her arms across her chest and sighed, mentally berating herself for acting like such a silly schoolgirl.


	4. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FIC SUMMARY: Richard met Delia during the making of the Hobbit movies, and suffered through an agonizing crush during that time. When he finally gathers the courage to tell her how he feels, it doesn’t go as planned….but things are not as hopeless as they may seem, when Delia comes back into his life and has had a change of heart. Can they navigate the bumpy waters of a relationship, or are they doomed to just be in love with each other from a far?  
> RATING: Mostly NC-17 and R

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AUTHORS NOTES/WARNINGS: we’re still playing more “catch up” till we get to the current time, which is coming up, but we have a little bit of angst in this chapter….some romance but some angst too ;)

**Chapter Four**

The party was in full swing when Richard walked in. The hotel had accommodated them with the use of their largest conference room, which had been decorated and decked out for the party. A large group of people were dancing to whatever song was being pumped through the speakers; it was so loud he couldn’t hear it properly. He wandered towards the table of refreshments where he saw Orlando and Lara chatting.

“Having a good time?” he asked Lara after Orlando had been called away by Ian and some of the others.

Lara beamed at him, “of course I am dearie, how are you?”

He smiled at her as he sipped his punch, “sad to say good bye, eager to see the films when Pete finishes them.”

She nodded as she looked him over. He looked away for a moment to survey the room, watching the familiar faces as they laughed and chatted, mingling together in the dim light; some dancing, others just working the crowd. He smiled at the sight of Pete taking photos with Elijah and Andy, but the door opened not far behind them and then he saw her. She was dressed in a simple set of trousers and a nice blouse, but in the flickering light of the party and the strobe from the dance floor, she astounded him.

Delia looked around, waving at a few friends on the dance floor, then she turned toward him and smiled. He wasn’t sure if she was looking past him, or if she could actually see him from across the room. As he watched – his drink poised in front of him as he stood there, frozen in time – a stocky, tan, blonde man came up behind her and gripped her elbow. She turned towards him and said something with a smile, but he only nodded to her as he continued to look around the room. There was something disconcerting about the way he held onto her as they walked, but Delia came over to Lara and Richard with a wide grin and a bounce in her step.

“How are you, sweetheart?” Lara asked as she kissed Delia on the cheek.

“Great! Lara this is Jonas,” she said as she motioned to the man next to her.

He stuck out his hand and shook Lara’s briskly as the older woman grinned, “I’ve heard all about you Jonas, nice to finally meet you!”

He smirked, “hopefully not  _all_  about me.”

Lara’s grin faltered, and she glanced at Delia before turning to Richard to introduce him, “Jonas, this is Richard, the star of the films.”

Richard stepped forward, smiling narrowly at Lara’s introduction, “ _hardly_. It’s nice to meet you, Jonas,” he said as he shook the young man’s hand.

Jonas limply shook his hand and nodded, then retracted quickly and turned to Delia, “you said you knew the director?” he asked her swiftly.

Delia looked surprised, but then nodded and pointed over her shoulder towards Peter and the others, “he’s right over there Jo, I’ll introduce you in a minute okay? I want to talk to Rich real quick.”

Jonas looked frustrated, “don’t take too long,” he said briskly.

Richard watched with a confused smirk as Delia walked over to him and slipped her arm into his. She smiled up at him as she started to lead him away from where Jonas and Lara stood, and he realized she was taking them away from the entire party itself. She led them to the front door and her hand grasped his as she pulled him outside. There weren’t many people outside, except for a few who were about to head into the party, and nobody seemed to take notice of the two of them as Delia pulled them off to the side of the door and turned to face him.

“I got the position at the play!” she beamed. She looked so thrilled, it made Richard’s insides flutter.

He began to grin without thinking about it, then he felt his heart slowly start to sink. “That’s great!” he forced with a smile.

Delia’s grin faded as she watched him, her excitement slowly giving way to confusion, “what’s the matter?”

Richard shook his head, “nothing, why?”

Delia’s smile had completely faded now, she glanced over his shoulders at the last few stragglers heading inside. “I thought you’d be happier for me. I thought you’d be more excited that we get to work together again?”

He tried to laugh, but his throat was dry, his lips felt painfully chapped, “I  _am_ happy, Del, it’s great news, really great.” He studied her face for another moment, “Jonas seems like a really great guy.”

She narrowed her eyes at him as she crossed her arms in front of her chest, “whatever, Rich, you know as well as I do that he’s a tool. The only reason I brought him here was so he could go surfing before we head back to the states.”

A tiny voice started singing incoherently in the back of his mind, chirping wildly about her not actually liking Jonas, but he did his best to quiet the excited annoying pest. “I’m sorry to hear that, I thought you liked him.”

She sighed, “I  _did._  Don’t change the subject, what’s the matter with you?”

He glanced around, then down at his hands, “nothing.”

“Don’t bullshit me Richard.”

He looked up at her and caught her gaze; that fiery stare she would get when she was annoyed or pissed off. He had seen it a few times in the makeup trailer when someone was misbehaving, or a piece of latex wouldn’t cooperate with her. He tried to smirk – a weak attempt to lighten the mood between them, but it wouldn’t stick, he couldn’t lie to her much longer.

He took a deep breath, then stumbled over his words as he tried to think of what to say, “Delia…I-I think it’s  _amazing_  that you want to work on the play with me…”

“-but?” she was watching him with that red-hot glare; it felt like she was burning holes into his skin.

“B-but I…” he sighed in frustration, “I-I don’t think we can work together again.” The words sounded so much worse when he said them aloud.

She watched him for a moment, her expression slowly morphing from confusion, to shock, then to outright pain. “Y-you…you don’t want to work with me?”

“No, no, it’s not  _that_  Del –” he tried to calm her, he reached a hand out towards her arm, but she stepped back from him.

She moved back a few steps and let her arms fall to her sides as she glared at him, “what is it, then? Please,  _explain_ , Richard – what  _exactly_  did you mean? Because to me, it sounds like you don’t want to work with me!” Her eyes began to well up with tears, and he hated himself for doing that to her.

“Delia, please –” he pleaded, but she was growing pink in the face, her anger palpable in the air.

“No Rich! I-I thought we were  _friends_! I thought you would be  _happy_  that we’d be working together again! But if you’re so adamant that you can’t  _handle_  working with someone like  _me_  again, then don’t worry about it! You won’t have to, I’ll find another project!” She launched herself past him, stomping her feet angrily on the ground as she huffed back towards the door. Richard turned to follow her, his hands out as he tried desperately to think of something to say. “Don’t worry, we’re leaving…,” she continued breathlessly. “I wouldn’t want you to have to be around someone that you can’t stand! I’m sorry I misunderstood how you felt about me –” she shouted back towards him as she neared the door.

“Delia!” he called after her, his voice hoarse and deep. She shook her head and waved her middle finger in the air at him without looking back. He took a deep breath as she gripped the door handle and was about to yank it open, “I’m in _love_  with you, Delia.”

She froze in mid-step with her hand on the handle of the door. After a moment, she slowly turned around. Her dark eyes studying him, her lips pressed tightly together as she struggled with how to respond. “ _What?_ ” she finally asked.

He felt his face grow hot, but he forced himself to keep his eyes locked on hers as he started to step closer, “I think you heard me.”

She shook her head as he neared her, “I-I don’t understand,” she stuttered. Suddenly they were so close; she was only inches from him. He fought the overpowering urge to reach out and pull her to him, to feel her in his arms. “You can’t be in love with me,” she muttered.

“Why not?” he asked as he looked down at her, his mind fluttering with images of bringing her face up to meet his and kissing her.

“Because,” her tone changed, she didn’t sound as disbelieving as before, now she sounded skeptical, “you hardly  _know_  me, Rich.”

He gaped at her for a minute, “Del –”

She shook her head, the heat rising in her cheeks again, but this time she wasn’t yelling, “no, Rich.” She put a hand up between them, staring down at his chest, almost as if she was afraid to meet his eyes, “I understand…” she sighed, “that you don’t want to work with me, because…of how you feel…”

“No, Del, I don’t think that you do…”

She took a step back and glared up at him again, “but you can’t claim that you’re in  _love_  with me…j-just because you have a crush on me…”

“ _Delia,_ ” he pleaded, but she cut him off.

“I mean, I had a crush on you too, at one point, but…I-I got past it.” She glanced away, then back up at him again, her eyes pained – not so much as angry as much as… _upset_  by the entire conversation. “I got past it, so that you and I could be  _friends_ , Rich.” She sighed again, “if you really don’t think that you can work with me, that’s fine, but don’t say you love me…that’s not fair.”

He wanted to grab her by the arms, to shake her, to tell her what he felt when she was around, to make her understand, but he didn’t know  _how_. She turned and opened the door before he could think of how to respond, and the door closed behind her as he watched her go. He stood there, staring at the closed door to the party for another few minutes, before pulling it open and walking inside.

The party was loud and energized. People were laughing, singing, dancing, and all around him he saw his friends and co-workers having the time of their lives – but he felt as if he had just had his heart yanked out of his chest. From across the room, a few yards from the refreshment table, he saw Delia talking animatedly with Jonas. Lara and a few others stood a few feet from them, watching as Jonas was flailing his arms in the air as he yelled. Delia put her hands on his chest and pushed him back, and as the bulky blonde looked like he was about to reel back on her in retaliation, Richard covered the distance between them in several strides of his long legs. He slipped an arm between Jonas and Delia and pushed the younger man backwards, slamming the backs of his legs against the refreshment table.

Jonas looked shocked, horrorstruck by the six-foot bearded man thundering over him. Under the roar and rumble of the music and the party going on around them, Richard could barely hear the young man shout “ _what the fuck?_ ” at him, but he didn’t care. He continued to force Jonas backwards, away from the table, away from Delia and the others, until Jonas’ back was only a few feet from the door.

“ _Get. Out._ ” Richard growled.

Jonas turned, yanked the door open, and disappeared without another word. Before he could turn around to see where Delia and the others were, Richard saw her glide past him and out the door after her boyfriend. He watched the door swing closed and turned back to the party, but the excitement and celebration of the evening had worn on him, and all he wanted to do was be alone.

~*~

Later that night, as he sat on the couch in front of the TV in his hotel room – a drink clutched in one hand, as he mindlessly flipped through the channels with the remote in the other – Rich wished he could turn back time. If only he could go back and take back what he had said to Delia, things would be different, and he wouldn’t have ruined everything. If he hadn’t been stupid enough to blurt out something as insane as “ _I love you,_ ” to her, she wouldn’t have gotten so upset with him. If he had been happier for her when she had been so excited to work on the play with him – all of this could have been avoided.

There was a soft knock on the door, and he glanced down at his watch, it was after three in the morning. The party had quieted down around midnight, but he had received several drunken texts, and knew that the celebration had been moved to someone’s room. He deposited his almost-empty glass on the table and wandered towards the door, wondering if it was Martin or Aidan who was knocking, presumably intoxicated and confused as to where their own room was.

His mind sluggish from exhaustion, he turned the doorknob without glancing at the peephole. To his surprise, it was neither Martin nor Aidan who stood in front of him in the doorway, but Delia. He stared at her for a moment, partially unsure if he was imagining her, then noticing the slight sway with which she stood.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

She glared at him, then slumped against the door frame and started to giggle.

He watched her for another moment, “Del?”

Her laughter stopped abruptly, and she straightened up. She took a step into the room, tripped on her own foot, and toppled forward into his arms. She started giggling again as he kicked the door shut and held onto her. She grasped limply at his shirt, trying to pull herself up, but when she couldn’t manage, her laughter slowly turned into whimpering sobs.

“Delia,” he breathed, pulling her to her feet. She didn’t want to stand on her own; she let her body slump against him as he continued to hold her up. He moved to put an arm around her shoulders, an attempt to steer her towards the couch, but she looked up at him with glassy eyes and smiled.

“Knight in shining armor?” she whispered, then her lids fluttered shut and she went limp in his arms. He let out a grunt as her entire bodyweight fell against him, but he recovered and quickly scooped her up off the floor. He carried her down the short hallway to the couch, laid her down on the cushions, quickly shut the TV off, and hurried into the small kitchen.

When he came back to the couch with an empty rubbish bin and a cup of water, Delia was trying to push herself up from the couch, struggling to sit upright.

“Careful,” he said quickly as he rushed over to help her. She leaned against the back of the couch and let her head fall against the pillows. She reached up and dug her palms into her eyes, letting out a frustrated groan. “Here,” he held the glass of water towards her from the other end of the couch.

She looked at him, but it was hard for her to focus. She took the water and gulped half of it down before he could get it back from her. She brought her legs up and wrapped her arms around her knees, hugging them to her chest as she stared down at the floor.

There was silence between them for what felt like a long time; Richard sat at one end of the couch, staring at the dark TV screen, while Delia buried her face into her arms and breathed deeply.

“I’m sorry,” was all he could think of to say. In the bitter quiet that buzzed between them, his words sounded overtly shrill and they echoed in his ears as he struggled to think of what else he could do to comfort her.

Delia sat back and looked over at him, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Don’t be, Rich…I’m the one who caused all this…trouble.”

He turned towards her on the couch, shifting his body to face her, “Del, please.”

She shook her head and wiped her eyes, “I ruined a perfectly good party by being a bitch,” she said with a quick, wry chuckle.

“Don’t talk about yourself like that,” he smirked.

She smiled and looked down at her arms, gently shaking her head. She sighed and leaned her forehead into the palm of her hand as she rested her elbow on her knee. She looked over at him out of the corner of her eyes, “did you really mean what you said…outside?”

Richard shuffled himself around in his seat at the end of the couch, not sure how deep into this conversation she would want to go in her presently impaired condition. He watched her for a minute, his fingers fiddling with a stitch in his jeans. He leaned his arm on the back of the couch and ran his fingers through his hair, “I don’t know what you want me to say, Del. If you’re uncomfortable with what I said before, I–”

“Tell me what you wanted to tell me outside. Before I stormed off like a loon.”

He tried to inhale deeply, but his heart was pounding so rapidly and so hard within his chest, it echoed painfully in his ears when he held his breath. He sighed and glanced down at his hands before he was finally able to find the right words.

“You make me want to cherish every breath, every heartbeat…to be the absolute best that I can possibly be. You hypnotized me from the moment we met, and I could never explain exactly why – but I didn’t  _need_  to. You’re a part of me – and as strange as that might sound…” he felt his lip quiver dangerously and struggled to calm himself as he breathed. “I’ve cared more for you in the past year than anyone else in my entire life. You make me feel  _alive_ , Delia.”

She stared at him, the stupor of liquor forgotten in her soft features. Richard waited anxiously for some sort of reaction from her, and after a moment, he was worried she was about to pass out – not knowing exactly how much she had had to drink.

Before he could inhale, she had crawled across the length of the couch and pressed her body into his. His arms instinctively encircled around her, and her slender fingers slid up to lightly touch the sides of his face as she pulled him closer. She covered his mouth with her own and closed her eyes. In the millisecond before he realized what was happening, he watched her as she kissed him, until his own lids fluttered shut and one of his hands dove up into her tangled locks. Her lips were pillow-soft, enveloping him in the sweet smell of her perfume, lip-gloss, and the alcohol she had consumed downstairs. She pawed at him, her lips caressing his as the fervor began to rise between them. His other hand kneaded her flesh through her blouse; working at the area just above her hip as she writhed against him. His brain felt like it was about to overheat, or trip a circuit. Delia cloaked him in a cocoon of balmy, scorching gasps and moans, and it was enough to drive him insane.

As quickly as the kiss had begun, it was over when she tore her lips from his and backed away from him. He opened his eyes to see her staring at him, her hand covering her mouth as if she had just said something unforgivable. After another moment, she launched herself off the couch, spun recklessly around the corner and into the hallway, then slammed the door after herself, leaving him alone again in the aching silence.


	5. Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FIC SUMMARY: Richard met Delia during the making of the Hobbit movies, and suffered through an agonizing crush during that time. When he finally gathers the courage to tell her how he feels, it doesn’t go as planned….but things are not as hopeless as they may seem, when Delia comes back into his life and has had a change of heart. Can they navigate the bumpy waters of a relationship, or are they doomed to just be in love with each other from a far?  
> RATING: Mostly NC-17 and R

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AUTHORS NOTES/WARNINGS: we’re still playing more “catch up” till we get to the current time, which is coming up, but we have a little bit of angst in this chapter….some romance but some angst too ;)

**Chapter Five**

“I’m so excited to be back in New Zealand!” Aidan laughed as he and Dean horsed around in the aisle of the cabin. The pilot had announced that they would be landing in the next twenty minutes, and Richard’s fellow actors had burst into excited whoops and hollers as they peered out the cabin windows to see the island come into view.

“I wonder if the entire crew is back,” Graham mused as he looked past Richard and out at the gorgeous New Zealand sunrise. He grinned at Rich and sat back, “didn’t you say Cory is meeting you here?”

Richard opened his book to the page he had been reading before the pilot’s announcement, and smirked, “she’s already here, got in a few days ago,” he made to look back down at his book, but he knew he wouldn’t get anymore reading done now.

“Eager isn’t she?” Graham asked with a naughty smirk.

Richard chuckled, “she’s excited to see the island. I told her I’d give her a tour on my first day off.”

Graham put his phone down and looked sideways at Rich, “lord knows when _that’ll_ be.”

~*~

“Alright gang,” Pete clapped his hands together in front of the bustling crowd. They stood in the center of the same studio in which they had finished filming almost a year before, and Richard was surrounded by hundreds of familiar faces. “We’re almost all here…most of us have done this before, there are a _few_ new faces but not too many… The last few stragglers should be arriving very shortly, and I want everyone to have a good shoot. Remember, now that we’ve got _three_ movies instead of _two_ , we’ve got more meat on our bones – more scenes to fill out the story and more story to fill out the theatre seats.”

There was a uniformed murmur of agreement from all around, several people had begun to clap, and Pete smiled, “good. So let’s all try to have another great shoot – let’s aim for as good a shoot as the last one went, and let’s have fun!”

As he finished speaking, he motioned to the DJ on the other side of the room, who nodded. Suddenly the speakers came alive with loud techno beats and infectious rhythms. A cheering group of stunt people, FX people, and several actors moved towards what had been designated as the dance floor, and Rich watched with a chuckle as they started dancing like there was no tomorrow.

He had introduced Cory to the majority of them, and while the party raged on, he watched as she laughed and mingled with Aidan, Lee, Orlando, and a number of others. She looked over at him, her bright blonde hair illuminated by the neon of the dance floor lights. He smiled at her and she turned back to the crowd, unabashedly awestruck to be amongst so many members of such a huge Hollywood production.

“She seems like a nice girl,” a familiar voice came up behind him. He turned and smiled when he saw Lara sitting down next to him.

“Lara, how are you?” he asked as he leaned over and gave her a one-armed hug.

She chortled as she embraced him, then sat into her chair, “I’m good, dearie, how have you been?”

“Good, very good.”

“That’s your girlfriend, isn’t it?” she pointed towards Cory and the others on the dance floor.

Richard glanced back, then smiled and began to nod, “she is.”

“How long have you two been going out?”

“A few months.”

Lara beamed, “and already bringing her to your film shoots with you? Must be love at first sight.” Richard grinned and looked down at his lap. He had been about to ask Lara more about how she was since they had last seen each other, when she quickly changed the subject. “I wanted to try and talk to you before filming started.”

He looked up, his eyebrow cocked in curiosity, “what about?”

Lara glanced around, but they were practically the only two sitting in the entire hall and she didn’t really need to worry about anyone overhearing anything. She looked back at Richard, “I wanted to talk to you about Delia, but I see now that you’re with Cory.”

The name caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand up; it had been so long since he had heard it. He had thought of her numerous times over the past months, but he hadn’t had the nerve to call or even text her during their time apart. He hadn’t even mentioned her to Cory, knowing she wouldn’t understand. “What about her?” he asked, doing his best to sound relaxed.

Lara looked anxious, she watched him for a moment, then sighed, “I know the two of you didn’t part on such great terms…”

All pretense forgotten, he turned in his seat to see her better, “is she alright?”

The older woman quickly nodded, then began to fidget in her seat, “she’s been as well as can be, I guess…when the man you're in love with has moved on to another woman.” Her gaze changed, and she studied his reaction.

He examined her for a moment, before trying to respond, “come again?”

Lara’s brow furrowed, she looked to be having some sort of internal argument with herself, but she looked up at Richard and covered her mouth for a moment. When her hand came away, she sounded like she was on the verge of tears, “I knew I shouldn’t have said anything! She didn’t tell you, did she?”

He felt his face contort in bewilderment, “tell me what?”

She sighed in frustration and ran her fingers over her hair, “I’m sorry Rich, I’m just buggerin’ ever’thing up! Forget I said anything, please!” she stood up and started to walk away.

Richard was quick to gently grab her arm. He stood up as he pulled her back towards him, doing his best not to be overbearing, but he needed her to explain herself. “ _Please,_ Lara, tell me what you’re talking about,” he urged.

She searched his eyes for another moment, before letting out an aggrivated groan. “She’ll be so upset with me for spillin’ the beans.”

“ _Lara_ ,” he pleaded.

She finally took pity on him, “it was a day or two before the wrap party,” she began as she slowly moved back to her chair and he quickly followed. “I found her in the back of the makeup trailer, a complete mess.”

“How so?” he asked excitedly, hanging on her every word.

She sighed and glanced around, searching for the right words. “She was disheveled, teary… sulking… not her usual self. I asked if she had been fighting with Jonas again – you remember how they would get into it over the phone – he always had such a hard time with her job.”

Rich felt his jaw tense at the mention of the prick, “I remember him well enough.”

She nodded, then continued, “well she told me it had nothing to do with him, but she wasn’t ready to talk about it. So I backed off, she was always an independent girl, always valued her space, y’know?”

He nodded with a grin, reminiscing, “I know.”

She watched him, “later on, we went out for a drink… It was after the last scene had been shot, she was a little torn up that people were going to be leaving. We got to talking about how much fun we had had during the shoot, all the great people we had gotten to work with, and all the great friends we had made. I made a snide remark that we had also met some people we might want to be _more_ than friends with – I was just being silly, trying to make her smile, to get a laugh out of her, y’know?”

“What did she say?”

She shook her head, “she looked at me as if I had just run her through. She looked so… _pained_. As if I had discovered some terrible secret of hers. She asked me how I knew, and I had no idea what she was talking about… I asked what she meant, and she practically cried – I think from relief – as she told me what was going on.”

Rich continued to watch her, and when she didn’t continue right away, he asked tentatively, “and _what_ was going on?”

She smiled, “she said she was having a hard time dealing with leaving _you_. She had… _feelings_ that she wasn’t ready to let go of. Feelings for _you_ , Rich, she said she didn’t know how to tell you. She said she felt stuck in her relationship with Jonas, but didn’t know how to end it…”

“She had feelings for me?”

She nodded, “is that really so hard to believe?”

Something clicked inside him. It was like pieces of a puzzle effortlessly falling into place, except they were inside his brain. It finally clicked, _that’s why she blew up at you at the party_ , he thought to himself, an uncontrollable grin growing across his cheeks. He slowly turned away from Lara, and before he knew it, he was standing, looking out over the celebrating crowd.

“Rich?” he heard Lara’s voice behind him, but she sounded miles away.

He slowly turned, his grin practically stapled into his cheeks, “is she here, Lara? Did Del arrive on the island yet?”

Lara looked worried again, as if she had been entrusted with some extraordinarily important information, “she’s at the hotel, Rich. She didn’t want to come to the party –”

Before she had even finished speaking, he had started towards the door. He weaved through the crowd, and didn’t realize that Lara was calling after him until she finally caught up to him and grabbed his arm. He spun around, eyes blazing, excitement building in his chest as he gazed down at her, “I've got to talk to her, Lara!”

Lara wore a mixture of exasperation and uncontrollable giddiness, “well I can _see_ that Rich –”

“What’s her room number?” he asked hurriedly.

She thought for a moment, “Rich,” she tried to calm him, but his heart was fluttering as she continued, “what about Cory? Your _girlfriend?_ ”

The joy suddenly drained from him, he felt it practically seep out of his pores as realization washed over him. His shoulders sunk; _what about her?_ He thought, _you can’t just ditch her, not here, not like this._

He focused back on Lara, searching for words he was unable to find, “I-I don’t know, Lara…”

She seemed to understand his sudden dilemma, and gently rubbed his arm. She watched him as he looked over her at the crowd on the dance floor. He could see Cory’s blonde head bobbing along with the music, he could imagine the bright smile on her face as she had more fun than she thought possible.

“She’s in room 394,” Lara said quickly. He stared down at her and felt that sneaking grin slowly return to his face, while she grinned up at him, “go on.”

~*~

Delia lay on the bed, her laptop open in front of her as she scrolled through her Facebook, not paying attention to what she was looking at. She ‘liked’ a few of her friends posts, flipped through pictures from her brothers skiing trip in the states, and then continued to scroll through the site mindlessly. She glanced down at the small clock in the corner of the screen, wondering to herself if the party would be ending earlier than usual since there were scenes scheduled for the morning.

She sighed and rolled onto her side, staring at different points of the room without focusing on them. She had lived in this hotel for so long, all those months ago, that she was surprised she wasn’t _happier_ to be back within its familiar walls again – the truth was it felt like she had returned to the scene of a crime. A crime she wasn’t completely sure about, but it still made her uncomfortable.

She forced herself to _not_ think about the next morning, when she would be forced to see him again. She tried to reassure herself that she would get to see everyone _else_ also, but just the thought of putting his makeup on him made her stomach churn anxiously. Not to mention she assumed he would have his new girlfriend with him for however long she was staying. _As if that won’t make things any more awkward than they already will be,_ she told herself wryly.

A light tap on the door made her jump, and she sat up bolt upright and looked around. She wasn’t expecting anyone, especially at this hour. She hadn’t ordered room service, even though she was starving, and she didn’t think her hotel room would be the first stop on anyone’s list after the party had ended.

She got up, readjusted her t-shirt, and ran her fingers through her hair as she walked down the short hallway towards the door. She leaned her palms against the door and closed one eye in order to see out the peephole, and her stomach suddenly dropped.

“ _Fuck_ ,” she whispered.

Richard was standing outside her door, one arm leaning on the doorframe, the other one rubbing the back of his head while he looked down at the floor. She considered sneaking back to the bedroom as quietly as she could, but the idea of ignoring him made her feel sick to her stomach – as anxious as she was to be face to face with him again, she still _wanted_ to see him.

She yanked the door open and he took a step back, his sapphire eyes going wide in surprise. He looked at her with the expression of someone who had never seen another human being before, and Delia nervously gripped the door handle as she tried her best to act carefree and natural.

“Hi,” her voice cracked and she felt her cheeks flame.

He smiled, “hi,” he repeated sheepishly.

She held onto the doorknob for support, “what’s up?”

He glanced around for a minute, gently rocking on the balls of his feet, “I…uh…I didn’t see you at the party.”

She bit her lip so she wouldn’t grin like a love struck puppy, then nodded briskly, “didn’t feel much like partying.”

He nodded, “how have you been?”

“Fine…you?”

He nodded again, “good…I’ve been good.”

This time she attempted a casual smile, and was thankful it felt that way. “Okay…” she breathed, her arm about to start closing the door “well….it’s good to see you…but I’ve gotta get up early…”

He moved so fast that she hadn’t had time to inhale before he had scooped her up in his arms and had pressed his lips to hers. For a split second, she felt her body squirm, as if her muscles were telling her this was a bad idea, but her mind and heart were both egging her on. She quickly gave up the idea of trying to fight him, and eagerly slung her arms around his shoulders.

She melted into him, breathing a sigh of relief as she felt his body against hers. They stepped backwards awkwardly, and her back made sudden contact with the doorframe. She ignored the sudden pain, and took hold of his t-shirt to pull him closer. She _needed_ him closer, as close as possible. Rich’s arm pressed against the edge of the door behind her, and his other wrapped around her waist as he lifted her off her feet. His lips searched hers; so desperately eager to taste and kiss every inch of her. He tugged gently on her bottom lip with his teeth, and she smiled against him, inhaling deeply the scent of his cologne, the wafting aroma of his skin.

Even though every inch of her screamed at her to continue, to let him have his way with her right there in the hallway, Delia forced herself to withdraw herself from his feathery kisses. There was a soft smack when their lips disconnected, and she felt his warm breath on her chin as she struggled to catch her breath.

“This is a bad idea,” she muttered, and immediately wished she had thought of something else to say.

He quickly pulled away from her, stepping backwards until his back came up against the other side of the door. He ran a hand briskly over his face and breathed deeply, then slowly started to nod, “I know.”

She glanced around the empty hallway, then softly slammed the back of her head against the doorframe. “Richard…” she sighed, he looked up at her from the floor he had been studying, and she watched him closely, her pores aching to have him against her again. “What are we doing?”

He started to shake his head, looking back down “I have no idea.”

“What about your girlfriend?”

She saw his shoulders sink, and summoned all the strength she had so she didn’t launch herself into his arms. He ran both hands into his hair and sighed in exasperation, “I don’t know Del.”

She crossed her arms in front of herself, uncertain of what else to do with them, “it’s been almost a year.”

He nodded, “I know, I know.” He looked up and caught her eyes, “I’ve missed you _so_ much.”

Her lips cracked into a smile she couldn’t control, “I’ve missed you too.”

The guilt building within him mingled uncomfortably with the exhilaration he had embraced only a moment ago. “I still love you, y’know,” he started, unable to hold back any longer, “that hasn’t changed.”

Her smile widened, “I love you, too,” her voice was small, but she didn’t break their eye contact.

He grinned; his lips still felt raw from that blazing kiss, but his elation waned at the thought of Cory, dancing downstairs and not knowing what was going on. “I’ve gotta make this right, Del,” his voice sounded foreign to him as he spoke, “I can’t be in love with you while I’m with someone else. It’s not fair to her.”

Delia nodded, her eyes dropping to the floor, burning with fledgling tears. “I know,” she said towards the ground, her momentary bliss shattered into a million pieces.

He slid a finger under her chin, slowly and gently lifting her head until she was looking up at him. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes, but he just smiled. “I’m going to tell Cory in the morning, that it’s over.”

 

 


	6. Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FIC SUMMARY: Richard met Delia during the making of the Hobbit movies, and suffered through an agonizing crush during that time. When he finally gathers the courage to tell her how he feels, it doesn’t go as planned….but things are not as hopeless as they may seem, when Delia comes back into his life and has had a change of heart. Can they navigate the bumpy waters of a relationship, or are they doomed to just be in love with each other from a far?  
> RATING: Mostly NC-17 and R

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AUTHORS NOTES/WARNINGS: I haven’t touched this fic or any other writing in months and feel a bit rusty because of it, so please be kind and bear with me ;)

**Chapter Six**

“Did you hear about what happened after the party? Total soap opera!”

Delia tensed as she moved along the table. Two young women from the costume department, both of whom she recognized but didn’t know personally, had been mumbling and giggling together as she had followed them into the cafeteria. Now that she was waiting behind them to select her lunch, she was suddenly able to hear their conversation, and felt her cheeks grow warm as she listened.

“I heard there was some yelling, but I never found out what had happened,” the other girl replied, keeping her voice low, but not low enough. Delia kept her head down and tried her best to focus on the selection of food in front of her, while not to be obvious about her eavesdropping.

“Armeridge and his girlfriend got into a really loud row,” the first girl started. Del bit her lip and tried not to smirk at the mispronunciation of Richard’s name. The girl, who looked to be in her mid-twenties, with lots of blonde hair and several dreadlocks piled on top of her head, seemed to pay no mind to anyone within earshot of their conversation. She was focused only on the gossip she was relaying to her friend. “She was yelling at the top of her lungs outside the party, I heard she was trying to hit him and everything!”

“Where is she now?” the other girl; a shorter, frumpy girl with dark circles set under her eyes, asked in a hushed voice.

The blonde shrugged, “someone said she was catching the first plane back to London, not sure if she’s left yet or not.”

“And Robert? Isn’t he filming today?”

Del almost dropped the plastic plate she’d been clutching. One of her biscuits took a tumble off the edge of the plate and careened back down to the tabletop, where she struggled to catch it quickly and return it to her plate so as not to attract attention.

“I think he’s doing that scene with Lee and Orlando today,” the blonde said as the two of them began to leave the counter. Delia watched out of the corner of her eye as they started to make their way to an empty table on the other side of the room. She glanced around quickly to see if she knew anyone sitting at the surrounding tables, then made her way as quietly and casually as she could to a spot a few seats away from where the girls sat.

“So what were they fighting about?” the other girl asked as Del slid into her seat and began to eat, pretending not to pay them any attention.

The blonde leaned a little closer to her friend from across their table, “I heard from Nancy over in FX that he wanted to break up with her for another woman,” her breathy whispers couldn’t hide her scandalous tone. As she forced herself to take a bite of her sandwich, Delia made a tight fist with one hand, digging her nails into her palm out of irritation. The blonde continued, unable to control her sniggering, “Nancy said that he brought her from the UK with him, and that night he suddenly decided he didn’t want to be with her anymore, and tried to break it off right as everyone was leaving the party!”

“He always seemed nice, it’s kind of hard to believe he would do something like that.”

The blonde scoffed, “when did you ever meet him?”

“I helped with some of his fittings when we were down here last year. You’re new, Sherri, you don’t know everyone like the rest of us.”

Sherri was quiet for a moment, and Del fought the urge to steal a glance over her shoulder at the pair. She took another bite of her sandwich and chewed softly in case they started talking again.

The pair mumbled something about the people in the costume department, most of it Delia couldn’t hear. They started trading stories of actors they had worked with, and she soon found herself losing interest all together. When the pair finally got up and disposed of their trash, she followed them with her eyes until they had left the cafeteria, and she was left alone with her thoughts.

The last few days had been strange. When she had first gotten back to New Zealand, she had been consumed with apprehension and anxiety, mostly about seeing and working with Richard again. The night of the party – when he had appeared at her door – had changed everything so quickly it had made her head spin. Her stomach fluttered when she thought about that kiss they had shared in her doorway, and the memory of his arms around her sent goose bumps erupting along her skin.

Then, as suddenly as her mood had changed for the better, is had suddenly changed for the worse. Richard had left her room and returned to the party, and as far as she had known, he was going to talk to Cory in the morning, without the hindrance of alcohol and everyone watching. Things hadn’t gone as planned, of course, and it had been late at night as Delia had tossed and turned in bed, when Lara had texted her and told her some of what had happened outside the party.

Cory had had too much to drink. She had been dancing throughout the party and had draped herself over every good-looking actor she had gotten her hands on. Richard hadn’t noticed any of that, because he hadn’t been there, and when he _had_ been, he had been talking to Lara about Del. Lara told her how the two of them had talked, and what she had told him. Del had to reassure her several times that she wasn’t upset Lara had “spilled the beans,” – in fact, Delia felt she owed the woman a debt in the end, for inadvertently re-uniting them.

Then Lara had gone into a little more detail about the scene outside the party. How Richard had attempted to control the belligerent Cory and get her safely to their hotel room. How she had started talking very _loudly_ about going for a dip in the pool with Rich and some of the other actors, and when Rich had tried to change the subject, the intoxicated Cory had started throwing a fit. Somehow, she had latched onto the idea that Richard was “sneaking around,” and started accusing him of cheating on her while she had been dancing. Delia had felt a nasty pang of guilt after hearing that, one she hadn’t been able to shake.

The excited flutter in her stomach quickly turned into a twisted knot when she thought about the things she had overheard in the last few days. She hadn’t heard her own name dragged into the drama yet, but she hated hearing people whispering about Richard the way they were. He didn’t deserve that, and she felt a heavy weight on her shoulders for being the reason he was being gossiped about.

Lost in her own thoughts, she hadn’t noticed Lara and Ian wander into the cafeteria and select their lunches. She also hadn’t seen Lara try to wave at her as they made their way closer to her table, and when they sat down across from her and greeted her with smiling faces, it shocked her back into reality.

“Still fretting, my dear?” Ian asked, a warm smile set across his friendly face. He began to pick at his salad while Lara started glared at him.

“Leave the poor girl alone, Ian, you know she’s just as love sick as Rich.” Delia’s eyes darted from one friendly smile to the next, then back down at her half-eaten lunch. She sighed deeply and bit her lip in order to fight back the stinging tears in her eyes.

Ian reached slowly across the table and patted the back of her hand. She looked up at him and was startled by his icy blue eyes, but felt comforted by his reassuring grin. “It will work out, darling,” his velvety smooth baritone cooed. She felt herself smile quickly, but it was a fake grin that she couldn’t wear for very long.

“If it helps, I think you and Richard make a much better couple than him and Cory,” Lara said cheerily as she took a bite of her chicken. Ian and Delia both looked at her, and again Delia grinned briskly.

“I want to talk to him,” she started, her voice feeling strangely foreign to her ears, “but I don’t want to make things worse.”

Ian nodded, “give it a few days, the gossip will die down, and you two can discuss where to go from there.”

She nodded again, feeling like a bobble head, and looked back down at her unappetizing meal.

Lara chuckled, “like I said, Ian, she’s love sick. The both of them.”

Del glanced up at Lara quickly, “is Richard ok?”

Ian’s smile widened, “pining over you, as usual.”

Delia considered prodding them for more information, but thought better of it. Torturing herself over Richard’s feelings when she wasn’t comfortable actually talking to him in person for fear of causing more drama, wasn’t going to help anyone. She choked down a bit more of her lunch and waited for Lara to finish her meal, before the two of them wished Ian a happy afternoon off, and then began their way back to the makeup department.

~*~

Richard sat alone at the bar, focusing intently on the rim of his scotch glass as the amber liquid within it vibrated from the ruckus within the bar. People cheered and yelled at the television mounted on the other wall, watching a game that he would have been equally invested in, had things seemed a bit more normal to him at the moment. Everything seemed like it had been turned on its head, and the thought of trying to enjoy anything – even a football game – felt impossible to him.

He kept seeing Del’s eyes. He had gotten used to her face being imprinted upon his psyche, especially after how they had left things before leaving New Zealand all those months ago. After the fiasco that was his declaration of love, and then her drunken assault on his lips later that same night, he had grown used to seeing the vision of her pained and confused expression every time he closed his eyes. Then with all the excitement of coming back to New Zealand, seeing his friends and co-workers again – that nervous anxiety he had tried to contain in order to see and work with Delia again, had ended up exploding all over her hotel room doorway – and as horrifying as that situation had become, it was just as easily intoxicating.

He’d run through the scene so many times in his mind, he felt like he could reenact it on stage as a one-man show. Just the sight of her opening the door to him; her hair disheveled, her shirt wrinkled and slept-in. She had been a sight for his weary eyes to soak up, to drink from, and he couldn’t help but replay it over and over in his mind. The smell of her hair, the softness of her skin, her lips on his, her body pressed against his own – it was all enough to intoxicate him more than the drink in front of him ever could.

Then he remembered Cory, and his insides twisted.

_How could you be such a blithering idiot?_ He asked himself. He ran a hand heavily through his hair, wishing there was some way to change what he’d done, the mistakes he had made. He should never have brought Cory with him, let alone dragged her into a relationship when he couldn’t guarantee he was emotionally ready for one. He knew, even if he hadn’t allowed himself to admit it, that he had still been in love with Delia when he met and became involved with Cory. There was no other explanation, and yet he had gone along with it like that was okay. As if becoming involved with someone when you dream about someone else, was perfectly acceptable. Maybe it was acceptable for other people, but it felt horrifyingly wrong to him.

“Mate, stop beating yourself up,” a familiar voice broke into his thoughts. He turned to see Graham settling into the seat next to him. Graham smirked back at him, then reached over and patted him on the shoulder, “you’re going to give yourself an ulcer, worrying about this whole thing.”

Richard smirked, then looked back at his drink, “I can't, Graham. I can’t just forget about it all, I fucked up. I'm a complete ass.”

Graham watched him for a moment, then shook his head, “you’re a guy. Guys make mistakes. All you can do now is _try_ not to repeat that mistake again.”

Rich chuckled wryly, “and how do I do that?”

He watched as Graham smirked, then glanced over his shoulder. Richard stared at him for a second in confusion, then turned to see what he was looking at.

On the other side of the room, across a sea of lively and loud patrons, was Delia. Looking sheepish and out of place, she was hugging her purse in front of herself as some sort of shield, and biting her lip nervously as she watched them. Richard felt his throat constrict at the sight of her, an uncomfortable lump lodging there which he couldn’t gulp back down. For the first time in days she was there, her dark eyes looking back at him, and he felt himself catch his breath again. Unaware that he hadn’t quite been able to inhale fully since the night outside her hotel room. His chest filled with a light buzzing sensation, and at the sight of Delia smiling at him, he felt the uncontrollable urge to giggle.

He wanted to stand up and walk across the room, to go to her and wrap himself around her and never let her out of his sight again – but as soon as he made to move from his seat he realized his legs had turned to jelly. Graham waved at Del to come towards them, and then turned towards Richard, “you deserve to be happy, mate, don’t punish yourself – or at least let _her_ do the punishing,” he said with a wink and a nudge before standing up to leave.

Graham passed Delia on her way over to the bar, and the two shared a brief word before he continued onwards to the door. She kept her eyes on Richard as she weaved through the crowd of sports fans, and when she was finally near enough for him to touch her, he pushed his wobbly self away from his seat and stepped towards her eagerly.

She looked breathless, but happy. Her chocolate eyes sparkled in the lights of the bar, and Richard’s cheeks began to burn from how hard he was smiling.

“Hi,” she grinned, and a breathy chuckle escaped her lips as the two of them stood there awkwardly.

“Hi,” he muttered clumsily; his lips had gone dry and his tongue felt too large for his mouth.

She looked up at him for another moment, before glancing down at the floor, then quickly at the people around them. She looked back up at him, her expression changing only slightly, “can we talk, somewhere?”

He felt a sliver of uncertainty wriggle through his gut at the phrase _can we talk,_ but he was still in too much of a numb shock to lodge any sort of rebellion to her request. She laced her fingers into his and began to lead him back across the room. She navigated the partying patrons easily, and had pushed the door open before he had even thought about what to say. _When did I become such an idiot?_ He wondered.

Outside, the night air was cool but still comfortingly warm. There was a slight breeze wafting through and it picked Delia’s hair up as she turned around and fiddled on her feet; silently considering the best way to say whatever it was that she was thinking. He watched her nervously, unsure if she was about to shun him away and disappear from his life again, or make him the happiest man on the planet – both options equally gut wrenching.

She took a deep breath, then looked up at him, “do you want to go out with me tomorrow? To dinner?”

He gawked at her for a moment, blinking away his anxious stupor. When it finally registered what she had just asked him, his mouth started to move before his brain had formulated a coherent sentence, and he stood there gaping at her for a horrifyingly long moment.

“Like,” he finally was able to speak actual words, “on a date?”

She nodded fervently, her smile waning ever so slightly.

Realizing she at least wasn’t there to break his heart, he wanted to jump up and click his heels, or at least pick her up and spin her around with the force of his excitement, but he took a deep, struggling breath to control himself, and found himself reaching out to take her hands in his. “That sounds lovely, Del.”

They stood like that for a few moments, the quiet of the street a welcome contrast to the busyness of the bar inside. He couldn’t take his eyes off her, and she was more than happy to stand there clasping hands with him on the side of the street, no matter who might pass by.

“Del,” he started after several moments, gripping her hands a little tighter, “I’m sorry about all this mess, with Cory and that whole… _thing_.”

She started to shake her head, “there’s nothing to be sorry about, Rich.”

He had been about to continue on apologizing, but at her words he caught himself. “I’ve made a complete mess of everythi–“

Delia covered the distance between them in a single step, and pushed herself up on her toes. She pressed her palm to his cheek and brought his lips down to meet hers, and his eyes fluttered shut as their lips melded together. He felt his breathing ease, and his muscles relax as she kissed him, her fingers leaving electric trails across his skin. When she finally pulled away from him, she breathed into his mouth, “no. Rich. You haven’t.”


End file.
